Fifteen noted YA authors offer powerful slice-of-life reflections about immigration and its emotional complexities.
Alsaid edits an extraordinary anthology featuring exquisite writing and offering a genuinely diverse collection on the richly layered topic of immigration. International in scope, the cross-section of voices is refreshingly diverse while also unified by emotional vulnerability. Nafiza Azad sets the tone in the opening story, “All the Colors of Goodbye,” through the grieving voice of a 17-year-old Indian Fijian girl who has been told she must emigrate unexpectedly following a coup, though her older brother must stay because officials in their new country deem him too old to be a dependent. In Misa Sugiura’s story, “Where I’m From,” Eriko reveals in painful snapshots the omnipresent otherness she feels as the child of Japanese immigrants to America, both as a child and later a college freshman in the U.S.—and also when visiting Japan with her mother. The stories reveal how immigration policies not only affect families, but also friendships, as in Lilliam Rivera’s “Salvation and the Sea,” in which a Guatemalan/Puerto Rican best friend duo on a road trip in California undergo a polarizing experience at a random immigration checkpoint. In the closing story about Jewish émigrés to Argentina, Alsaid pays homage to the ancestors who paved the way for our very existence. The overall result is moving and deeply relevant to our contemporary world.
A must-have antidote to xenophobia and a much-needed, compassionate mirror for many. (Anthology. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-335-14649-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES
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A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
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Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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